Ecuador sets a new record on corn production

Corn production in the country will be around one million tons, which is also a new record and wil allow the non-exportation of the grain to meet domestic demand.

The corn growers begin harvesting, which this year marks a record production because -according to them- the winter was good and they mostly used the certified seed. They are optimistic because it is expected that for this winter, harvest in Loja, Guayas, Manabi and Los Rios will be 1,076,000 tons, 53% more than in 2012: 700,000 tons. Moreover, in 2011 they  only produced 600,000 tons.

Ecuadorian maize

Domestic consumption is 1,200,000 t of corn per year, according to Manuel Jimenez, general manager of Eicopa Company and Henry Peña, president of Ecuador Productivo Corn Growers Corporation. Adding the quantity produced in this winter with the potential 300,000 t for the summer harvest, the country will be supplied with the grain and imports will not be required, says Peña.

For Peña, production of this year turns Ecuador into competitive country. “Maybe not to the level of the U.S., Brazil or Argentina, for the volume, but we know that we can supply our market.”